The developer said the numbers were derived from using more long-term projections than the state government’s, which based its estimates over the next two decades.

But it refused to say how much further these projections would go. However, UrbanGrowth acknowledged plans had widened.

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“Further work has obviously been done since September 2013 to examine the capacity of existing infrastructure along the corridor,” a spokeswoman said.

UrbanGrowth would not say when it was planning to announce its expanded plans.

Critics were drawing an analogy between these plans and the progressive doubling in size of the Barangaroo development.

“The government makes the initial announcement to get community support and then the delivery authority doubles [it] without any democratic oversight,” said Greens MP David Shoebridge.

Urban Taskforce, the lobby group representing property developers, had pushed for greater density in the areas and in 2012 floated a plan for 100,000 homes.

A spokesman for Planning Minister Pru Goward said the government would not remove planning approval powers from local councils or planning panels.

In that case, UrbanGrowth could be forced to win approval from ten, mostly Labor-controlled councils to win approval for its plans. It had recently started striking agreements with councils to begin talks.

Leichhardt mayor Darcy Byrne refused to join Marrickville and the City of Sydney councils in signing up for talks because he feared the project's plans could already have grown far beyond his council’s development limits.

“The government’s plan to redevelop the Parramatta Road corridor can best be described as being conceived on the back of an envelope,” he said. “Despite continual requests for data … these projects are still concealed by a cloak of secrecy.”

The City of Sydney voted to sign a memorandum of understanding that paved the way for negotiations on Parramatta Road with UrbanGrowth on Monday.

But Labor councillor Linda Scott successfully moved to ensure the council did not agree to any further negotiations on other UrbanGrowth projects unless it agreed to reserve 15 per cent of any developments to affordable or social housing.

UrbanGrowth also had plans for redeveloping the area around the Sydney Fish Markets.

“UrbanGrowth has made clear one of its key priorities is to turn a profit," Ms Scott said. "My concern is that this will come at the cost of community facilities.”